Explore Ditmas Park of the Past Through Brooklyn Visual Heritage
Brooklyn Visual Heritage has joined up with Project CHART to put historical photos of the borough online, and the result is a wonderful gift to anyone who has ever nerded out about history or Brooklyn. The collection, which includes 19th and 20th century photographs and other visual materials drawn from the rich collections of the Brooklyn Historical Society, Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Public Library, is so massive and the browsing subjects so intriguing (liquidation, roller skaters, alleys, doughnuts??) that it’s easy to imagine losing a lot of time to the search. Here’s a peek at some of the highlights from our area.
Though the exact location of this Jersey cow isn’t noted, it’s one of several photos by Adrian Vanderveer Martense, who ended up with a portion of his family’s farm, the homestead of which stood where the Parade Ground is today. So we’d like to imagine this fellow grazed where people now play basketball.
The caption reads: “Tennis lesson–Mrs. James N. Cooke of 57 St. Paul’s Place and Miss Marilyn I. Shinton of 2108 Albermarle Terrace, (left to right), take time out from a set of tennis at the Knicherbocker Field Club for a lesson from Bill Einsmann, the tennis pro of the K. F. C. Miss Shinton is a junior at Rollins College, Winter Park, Fla. The awards for the current tournament, in which Miss Shinton readhed the semi-finals, will be presented at a supper dance at the club, Tennis Court and E. 18th St. on Saturday.”
The only ways to tell this isn’t some present-day Instagrammed photo of the Beverley Road subway station are possibly the car and the globe lamppost in front.
Casa Del Rey, on the corner of Coney Island Ave and Newkirk, once hosted weddings and bingo games.
The view of the subway tracks in 1961 from the now-gone Albemarle pedestrian overpass.
Grillo’s! Someone should make a Grillo’s II one day on Newkirk Plaza.
We could basically do this all day. If you’re looking for a way to kill the last hour or so of your work-week, this will definitely fit the bill. Enjoy!
All photos via Brooklyn Visual Heritage